Marble statue of a woman

Excavations on the Acropolis at Xanthos have
revealed the foundations of several buildings that have been
identified as shrines of heroes. Remains of sculptured
friezes
found by Charles Fellows, now mostly in The British Museum, may
have decorated these structures. The terrace on which they were
constructed seems also have held statues of women. Three of these
have been found, of which this is the best preserved. It is not
clear who is represented, as no identifying features or attributes
survive. All three women wear clothes typical of the period 480-460
BC. This statue has a heavy
peplos
(dress) with an over-fold framed by a series of almost flat
overlying folds. The sculptor has also added an interesting touch
by showing the woman pulling the side of her dress away from her
right hip, an action that causes the material to pleat over her
right leg in a way reminiscent of Archaic Greek
korai.

The
term 'Severe Style' is applied to sculptures of
this period carved in this characteristically austere and simple
way. The most famous group of Severe Style sculptures are those
from the
pediments
of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.